Over the last six years there has been a drought in the Middle East that has been affecting the Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians. The drought, along with excessive use and pollution is greatly damaging the Jordan River which all three counties get use of and essentially fight over as there major watershed. This is not the only example of this specific case of fighting over waterways. This has been an issue for many years. The Indus River has brewed controversy between India and Pakistan. The Nile River has stemmed fighting between Ethiopia and the Egyptians. Furthermore, the Eufraties River has seen its share of controversy between Turkey and Syria. These conflicts are not just remedial disputes. These countries go to war over these waterways because that is there means of survival. Oregon State has conducted research that concludes that over the 37 military disputes that have erupted over waterways since the 1950s, almost all of these disputes take place in the Middle East between Israelis and Arabs.
It is amazing to me to see how such a small issue as a river can cause decades of war. It’s very eye opening to see how these Middle Eastern countries utilize these rivers and waterways for everything from bathing, drinking, and farming. I would think that after all of these years of military fighting and disputes that these countries would have thought that it was in their best interest to find a permanent solution. Especially, with all of the military resources and expenses they are using up without making any progress. Neither side is going to back down because the rivers are such a huge resource for their survival so a peace place should be developed to possible stop the military fighting and help sanitize and regulate the rivers water for a better quality of live.
--Brian Connor
